Poor response to Tamil Nadu govt’s priests’ training

Even after the Tamil Nadu appointed 24 non-Brahmin priests in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment run temples after a long struggle, there has been a lackluster response for the applications invited for the one-year archakar training course for all caste people offered by six Archakar Payirchi Palli (Priests’ Training School).

The Priests’ Training Schools attached to four Shaivite temples and two Vaishnavite temples were revived by the HR&CE after the DMK government came to power last year. The schools were first opened in 2007 by the then CM M Karunanidhi.

According to HR&CE sources, the department had planned to admit 40 students to each training school, but it has received applications from 18 to 39 students in each school.

The schools attached to Aranganathar Swamy Temple in Srirangam and Parthasarathy Swamy Temple in Chennai’s Triplicane will train the students in the Vaishnative tradition while the schools in Meenakshi Sundaraswarar Temple at Madurai, Dhandayuthapaniswamy Temple at Palani, Subramaniaswamy Temple at Tiruchendur and Arunchalaeswarar Temple at Tiruvannamalai will train priests in the Shaivite tradition.

“When the scheme was launched in 2007, each of the schools received over 1,000 applications and interviews were conducted for three to four days to select the students for all caste priest training courses,” said sources. On contrary, the revived priest training schools have received much fewer applications and some of the candidates were over 24 years, sources said, adding after scrutiny of the applications, the number of eligible applicants would drastically come down.

Sources said that the state should take efforts to give publicity for the priests training course offered with a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000 to the students. “HR&CE website did not have any mention of the Archakar Payirchi Palli on its website’s home page,” a source pointed out.

It may be noted that Jayalalithaa led AIADMK government replaced the Priests’ Training School with Veda Padasalas in Chennai and Tiruchy where only ‘Brahmins’ studied.